Recommendation 3

Delivering successful digital transformation will require a new approach to digital and technology spend, underpinned by clear standards, approval processes, and lines of accountability. The current approach to funding, whereby it is easier to secure capital funding than resource, public sector organisations are limited in their ability to secure funds for ‘as a service’ products, and inefficient buying decisions are prevalent, does not reflect the reality of modern public service delivery, where spending on digital and technology should be viewed as a day-to-day undertaking. This creates inefficiencies, increases the likelihood that funds are wasted, and potentially undermines the bargaining power individual public bodies have over contractors and suppliers. Addressing this is made harder by the current, decentralised approach to digital transformation being taken across the public sector, where GDS provides advice and support but not always oversight. (Conclusion, Paragraph 17)